Golf: Thomas, Schauffele, Reed in playoff at Tournament of Champions

GARZÓN, URUGUAY – Garzón Tajamares Golf, a private championship 18-hole golf course located on a 10,000-acre estate 15 miles from the glamorous Uruguayan beach town of José Ignacio, signed a partnership agreement with the PGA TOUR at TPC Sawgrass during THE PLAYERS Championship. Paul Johnson, PGA TOUR Executive Vice President of International Affairs, represented the TOUR as Garzón Tajamares Golf became the first “PGA TOUR Preferred Golf Course.� Garzón Tajamares Golf is a part of The Garzón Club, South America’s newest private club, founded by international vintner Alejandro Bulgheroni. Angel Cabrera, a three-time PGA TOUR winner, designed the course. The designation of “PGA TOUR Preferred Golf Course� elevates a golf course’s brand, amplifies marketing communications and allows a course to associate with the PGA TOUR. “Working with the great Angel Cabrera, the design and construction of Garzón Tajamares has been a labor of love, with meticulous attention paid to every detail as we transformed a vision into reality,� said Bulgheroni. “To be recognized by the PGA TOUR with the great honor of being named the first PGA TOUR Preferred Golf Course in the world is beyond our fondest hopes.  We look forward to welcoming golfers from around the world to our slice of heaven here in Garzón, Uruguay.� “We are extremely pleased to enter into this agreement with Garzón Tajamares Golf. We are thrilled at the growth of golf on the continent, and our presence in Uruguay shows the PGA TOUR’s commitment to golf in Latin America. Garzón Tajamares Golf will be a destination for golfers from all over the world, and we’re happy to have the course as our partner,� Johnson said. With a sweeping landscape, Garzón Tajamares Golf sits amongst olive groves, chestnut fields, almond trees and seven natural lakes. The course measures 7,000 yards and is a par-72 layout that includes a full practice facility and a relaxing bar at the turn. The championship course presents a challenge for both professional and amateur players who enjoy exploring every hole in one of the most stunning settings in South America. The club offers instruction for both adults and children by PGA-endorsed professionals. To learn more about Garzón Tajamares Golf and other benefits associated please visit www.thegarzonclub.com.

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John Mallinger, Jack Maguire and Derek Barron shot 66 on Monday to share medalist honors in the qualifier for the Farmers Insurance Open. Tyler Torano grabbed the fourth and final spot in this week’s PGA TOUR event with a 5-under 67 at El Camino Country Club in Oceanside, California. Mallinger, 38, will be making his first PGA TOUR start since withdrawing from the second round of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in October 2015. The Long Beach State alum has two runners-up and seven third-place finishes in 186 career PGA TOUR starts. He lost a playoff to Bo Van Pelt at the 2009 U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee and finished two shots behind Mark Wilson at the 2012 CareerBuilder Challenge. He twice finished third at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (2007, ’08) and was third at the 2009 PLAYERS Championship. He finished in the top 70 in the FedExCup standings in three consecutive seasons (2007-09). Mallinger played with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers at last year’s BMW Charity Pro-Am on the Web.com Tour. The native of nearby Escondido, California, had surgery on his left shoulder in 2013 and played the 2013-14 season on a medical extension. He was unable to regain his status, and has made just two PGA TOUR starts since 2014. Last year, he made the cut in just one of eight starts on the Web.com Tour. Maguire, 23, made the cut at the 2015 U.S. Open (T58) as an amateur and played the past two seasons on the Web.com Tour. He has conditional status on that circuit after finishing 93rd on the money list. He also finished T42 at last year’s U.S. Open, his best finish in four career PGA TOUR starts. Barron, 32, made his only previous PGA TOUR start at last year’s U.S. Open, missing the cut with rounds of 70-83. He finished 38th on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada’s money list last season, posting two top-10 finishes in nine starts. Tyler Torano, 26, is an alumnus of Loyola Marymount and was born in nearby Chula Vista. He will be making his PGA TOUR debut. He has made 24 starts on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica over the past two years, posting one top-10 and missing 16 cuts. Sony Open in Hawaii qualifiers T67. John Oda, 68-70-69-71 T69. Steve Allan, 68-70-72-69 MC. Ricky Barnes, 72-69 MC. Gunn Yang, 74-71 2017-18 Monday qualifiers Qualifiers: 24 Made cut: 9 Top-10s: 1 (Scott Strohmeyer, T4 at Sanderson Farms) Top-25s: 1

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• COURSE: Quail Hollow Club, 7,600 yards, par 71. Already a player favorite as host of the Wells Fargo Championship, Quail Hollow unveils a new look for its first step into the major spotlight. Tom Fazio’s latest upgrade created three new holes, including a new 524-yard opener made by merging the old first and second holes. Nos. 4 and 5 also are new, made from the previous par-5 fifth hole. There was no need to tinker with the “Green Mile,� already deemed perhaps the toughest closing three holes on the PGA TOUR. George Cobb built the original 1961 layout, with Arnold Palmer and later Fazio tabbed for modifications. Quail Hollow was the Kemper Open’s original venue (1969-79) and later staged the World Seniors Invitational (1980-89), with the Presidents Cup coming in 2021. • FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 600 points. • CHARITY: PGA Reach, formerly the PGA Foundation, has contributed more than $40 million over the past two decades to growth-of-the-game initiatives, ranging from establishment of The First Tee to teaching grants and funding for military veterans, disabled and special-needs golfers. • FIELD WATCH: Jordan Spieth, atop the FedExCup standings and pointing toward a shot at the career Grand Slam, is joined by No.2 Dustin Johnson and defending champion Jimmy Walker to headline one of the year’s deepest fields. … All but two of the top 115 in the world rankings are slated to compete, missing only No.63 Martin Kaymer (shoulder) and No.75 Scott Piercy (unspecified). … Spots remain for the winners of this week’s WGC Bridgestone Invitational and Barracuda Championship, if not already qualified. … The lineup also includes the top 20 finishers from June’s PGA Professional National Championship. • 72-HOLE RECORD: 265, David Toms (2001 at Atlanta AC). • 18-HOLE RECORD: 63, Bruce Crampton (2nd round, 1975 at Firestone CC), Raymond Floyd (1st round, 1982 at Southern Hills), Gary Player (2nd round, 1984 at Shoal Creek), Michael Bradley (1st round, 1993 at Inverness), Vijay Singh (2nd round, 1993 at Inverness), Brad Faxon (4th round, 1995 at Riviera CC), José María Olazábal (3rd round, 2000 at Valhalla), Mark O’Meara (2nd round, 2001 at Atlanta AC), Thomas Bjorn (3rd round, 2005 at Baltusrol), Tiger Woods (2nd round, 2007 at Southern Hills), Steve Stricker (1st round, 2011 at Atlanta AC), Jason Dufner (2nd round, 2013 at Oak Hill), Hiroshi Iwata (2nd round, 2015 at Whistling Straits), Robert Streb (2nd round, 2016 at Baltusrol). • LAST YEAR: Walker stood tall on the PGA Championship’s longest day, enduring a 36-hole finale at Baltusrol to hold off Jason Day’s late charge and complete a wire-to-wire victory for his first major title. Walker shot 68-67 on the final day, playing his final 29 holes without a bogey to stay one stroke clear of Day’s bid for back-to-back Wanamakers. A Day eagle at Baltusrol’s par-5 18th hole made it interesting, though, especially after Walker’s 3-wood from 289 yards came down in greenside rough. The 37-year-old Texan pitched to 30 feet, though, and two-putted from there to emerge triumphant. The win had special meaning for Walker and caddie Andy Sanders, who met at Baltusrol when both were competing in the 2000 U.S. Amateur. Eight years later, Walker turned his bag over to Sanders. • STORYLINES: Spieth, fresh off his adventuresome Open Championship triumph, needs only the PGA Championship to complete the career Grand Slam – and can best Tiger Woods as the youngest to do it if he wins at Quail Hollow. The Texan celebrated his 24th birthday just last week. … Rory McIlroy has been Quail Hollow’s master, using a final-round 62 to win his first PGA TOUR title there in 2010 and shooting 61 on the way to a 2015 victory. He also lost a playoff to Rickie Fowler in 2013. … Johnson, who took three consecutive wins into Augusta back in April, is down to his final chance to win a major in 2017. • SHORT CHIPS: Eight of the past 11 major winners have been first-timers, including Sergio Garcia and Brooks Koepka this year. The exceptions: Spieth (twice) and Zach Johnson at St. Andrews. … Before that, five of the previous six winners already had a major title on their portfolio. … This marks the 60th year in which the PGA Championship has been decided by stroke play, after match play was employed for the first 39 editions. • TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 1-7 p.m. ET (TNT). Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (TNT), 2-7 p.m. (CBS). • PGA TOUR LIVE: None. • RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-6 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-7 p.m. (SiriusXM).

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